GENERAL INTEREST / Westport Innovations presents Natural Gas Combustion Technology
VANCOUVER, Feb. 26 /CNW/ - Westport Innovations Inc.
WPT: ASE
Westport Innovations Inc. (WPT:ASE) presented the results of its High
Pressure Direct (HPD) Injection development program at the annual Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Congress and Exposition in Detroit
today. The results have been published as a paper entitled ''Performance and
Emissions of a Two Stroke Engine Fueled using Late Cycle Direct Injection of
Natural Gas'' which will be available from the SAE as reprint number 981160.
This paper will also be posted on Westport's web site upon its release by the
SAE.
Dr. Patric Ouellette, Westport's Chief Scientist, also presented
preliminary results from the company's U. S. Federal Testing Protocol (FTP)
emissions testing program being conducted at the Colorado Institute for Fuel
and High Altitude Engine Research (CIFER), an EPA certified lab. Results have
verified Westport's findings and were measured using the prescribed EPA
procedures for diesel engines. On an average FTP duty cycle, nitrogen oxides
(NOx) were reduced approximately 45%, and particulate matter (PM) reduced over
50% compared to the stock diesel engine. Power, torque, injection timing and
thermal efficiency were equivalent to the basic diesel engine. Further
testing of the system is underway and the compilation of the final test
results will be completed by the end of March.
Westport is also pleased to note that Dr. Philip Hill, the inventor of
the High Pressure Direct Injection technology and the head of the
collaborative research program between Westport and the University of British
Columbia, was honored at the SAE Congress with an appointment to the status of
SAE Fellow. SAE Fellows are recognized for their significant contribution to
mobility technology over their career. Dr. Hill is the first engineer in
British Columbia to be named an SAE Fellow.
Westport is commercializing combustion technology called High Pressure
Direct (HPD) Injection, originally developed at the University of British
Columbia. HPD Injection allows heavy-duty diesel engines to operate on
cleaner-burning gaseous fuels, such as natural gas, without sacrificing
performance or fuel economy. The Company's bus demonstration program, which
began in January of this year, is currently underway, with funding support
from the California Air Resources Board's Clean Air Technology program and The
National Research Council of Canada. The Company conducted the first public
demonstration of its technology on a production transit bus at the University
of British Columbia on April 21, 1997. |
